Sunday, January 01, 2012

Usher in the new year with something sweet !

I hope your new year is off to a great start ! I spent a quiet evening with my family at home....couldnt even keep my eyes open to see the ball drop ! I guess having a 10 month old whose nightly sleep patterns can best be described as sporadic, will do that to you !
Coming to the recipe, I guess its been around for a long time, judging by the number of variations on the internet and how long people have been making it and delighting others with it :)
I only made slight changes to account for available ingredients.
Without further ado, then - here is the recipe for my magic cookie bars with oats crust!

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Ingredients:
1.5 cups toasted oats
5 tbsp butter (melted)
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 can condensed milk
1 C shredded sweetened coconut
1 C mixed nuts of choice
1 C chocolate chips

Method:
1. The original recipe called for a crust made with crushed graham crackers. But since I didnt have any on hand, despite the grocery trip that I made the previous day, I had to come up with one made with oats.
I toasted 1.5 C of plain rolled oats on the stovetop and pulverized them in my mini food chopper after they cooled down.
2. Add the cardamom powder to the oats.
3. Melt the butter and mix with the oats mixture. I used a 1/2 cup of butter that the recipe called for, but I think a little less will do as well.
4. Press the mixture into a 9 X 9 or a 13 X 9 pan. The larger pan will give flatter bars and the smaller pan will give thicker ones.
5. Pour the condensed milk evenly over the crust.
6. Layer the nuts, coconut and chocolate chips evenly over the condensed milk.
7. With a spatula, press everything evenly so that the condensed milk seeps upwards into the other layers. Alternatively , some sites suggest that you could pour the condensed milk as the last layer over the other ingredients.
8. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, until the coconut browns a little and chocolate chips melt a tad.
9. Cool , slice and serve !
10. If for some reason, you have difficulty slicing, refrigerate overnight and then slice the next day.

Be aware that this is in no way a healthy recipe :D ...With the condensed milk, chocolate chips and the sweetened coconut flakes, this is pure sugar overload. So make tiny slices and enjoy moderately.
That said, the oats crust added a nice crunch and a contrast to the sweet filling. This is a decadent dessert and should be enjoyed sparingly. But do try it at least once and share it with family , friends and colleagues and see their love for you exponentially increase with each bite !

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy New Year ! May the new year herald the beginning of good tidings, an abundance of health and happiness and a celebration of everything that is dear to you !!







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